Alcaraz (Albacete)

Alcaraz municipality
Alcaraz - town center (Plaza Mayor)
coat of arms	Map of Spain
Basic data
Autonomous Community :	Castile-La Mancha
Province :	Albacete
Comarca :	Sierra de Alcaraz
Coordinates	38 ° 40 ′  N , 2 ° 29 ′  W Coordinates: 38 ° 40 ′  N , 2 ° 29 ′  W
Height :	960  msnm
Area :	370.53 km²
Residents :	1,351 (Jan 1, 2019)
Population density :	3.65 inhabitants / km²
Postal code :	02300
Municipality number  ( INE ):	02008
administration
Website :	Alcaraz

Alcaraz is a place and a municipality (municipio) consisting of the main town and several hamlets (pedanías) and individual farmsteads with a total of 1,351 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2019) in the southwest of the province of Albacete in the autonomous region of Castile-La Mancha . The center of the village is recognized as a conjunto histórico-artístico .

location

The place Alcaraz is located in the mountain landscape of the Sierra de Alcaraz , the northern foothills of the Betic Cordillera , about 84 km (driving distance) southwest of the provincial capital Albacete at an altitude of about 910 to 970 m above sea level. d. M. The climate in winter is temperate, but warm in summer; the low amounts of precipitation (approx. 445 mm / year) fall - with the exception of the almost rainless summer months - distributed over the whole year.

Population development

year	1857	1900	1950	2000	2016
Residents	5,419	4,501	6.132	1,738	1,463

The significant population decline since the 1950s is mainly due to the mechanization of agriculture and the associated loss of jobs.

economy

Alcaraz is located in the mountainous and wooded Sierra de Alcaraz, where olive tree plantations were created in the 20th century. In the past, cereals, vines, etc. were also planted for self-sufficiency ; Vegetables came from the house gardens. Cattle breeding (sheep, goats, chickens) and forestry (especially the extraction of charcoal ) were also operated. Small traders, craftsmen and service providers of all kinds have settled in the village. Since the last decades of the 20th century, rural tourism (turismo rural) has played an increasingly important role in the economic life of the municipality.

history

Small Neolithic finds were made in the area of ​​the municipality ; the Iberians left a necropolis in the southeast of the city. In ancient times the route from Sagunto to Castulo passed here. The Moors overran the area in the 8th century, but the place probably did not emerge until the 10th or 11th century. During the Almohad rule the place was surrounded by a wall of rammed earth mixed with small stones, but after the lost battle of Las Navas de Tolosa (1212) the Christian reconquest ( reconquista ) could no longer be stopped - a year later the united Leonese moved - Castilian armies in Alcaraz. The place was given privileges ( fueros ) , which were renewed and expanded again and again in the following centuries.

Attractions

Church portal

• The center of the village is the main square (Plaza Mayor) laid out in the 16th century ; all important buildings are located here.
• The Iglesia de la Santísima Trinidad y Santa María , begun in the 14th century and completed at the end of the 15th century, is dedicated to the Trinity and the Blessed Virgin Mary. Boasting the Trumeaupfeiler with a mercy seat split -Bildnis portal shows late Gothic tracery and two ogee arches . The interior of the church has three aisles and contains an altarpiece ; a group of figures depicting the " Lamentation of Christ " and other late Gothic sculptures can also be seen.
• The Torre del Tardón, opposite the bell tower of the church, dates from 1555 to 1568; It is believed that the architect Andrés de Vandelvira, originally from Alcaraz, was involved in its planning. The tower, built on an irregular hexagonal floor plan, belonged to the former Dominican convent ; its side facing the square shows two figures bearing coats of arms and above them again the depiction of a mercy seat. The final balustrade is decorated with several figures.
• The old Dominican monastery was converted into a stock exchange (Lonja de Santo Domingo) in the 16th century . The five-arched portico and the loggia above , which is optically divided into two by a stone heraldic shield from the time of Philip II (ruled 1556–1598), are impressive .
• The elongated Lonja de la Regatería o del Corregidor, also standing on the square, with its 12-arched portico, testifies to the former political and economic importance of the city.
• The facade of the so-called Casa de la Inquisición shows a stone heraldic shield. There are interesting artesonado ceilings inside.

Santuario de Cortes

Surroundings

• Only a few remains of the wall have survived from the medieval castle (castillo) .
• The 15th century aqueduct is also largely ruined.
• Approx. 4.5 km to the north-east is the building complex of the Santuario de Cortes , which was newly built in the 19th and early 20th centuries , in which a regionally important medieval statue of Our Lady is venerated.

Personalities

• Andrés de Vandelvira (1509–1575), Renaissance architect

Web links

Commons : Alcaraz  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Alcaraz, history and sights - photos + info (Spanish)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Cifras oficiales de población resultantes de la revisión del Padrón municipal a 1 de enero . Population statistics from the Instituto Nacional de Estadística (population update).
2. ↑ Alcaraz - map with altitude information
3. ↑ Alcaraz - climate tables
4. ↑ Alcaraz - population development
5. ^ Alcaraz - Tourism
6. ↑ Alcaraz History
7. ↑ Alcaraz - History in Key Words
8. ↑ Alcaraz - main church